How to Add or Remove the Windows 11 Gallery Folder
The Windows 11 Gallery folder is a dedicated picture viewer built into File Explorer (the file management app in Windows) that puts all your stored images into one central feed. Windows 11 introduced this feature in build 22621 to make photo browsing faster without opening a separate app.
You can customize this view by adding specific folders that contain your pictures or removing unwanted folders to keep your photo collection tidy.
Open File Explorer , click Gallery, then Collection, and Manage collection. Use the Add button to include folders or select and click Remove to exclude them. This customizes where File Explorer finds your photos without moving files.
Add or remove folders in File Explorer
Windows 11 Gallery management lets you choose which pictures appear in your photo feed by adding or removing folders directly from File Explorer . Open File Explorer, click Gallery on the left side, and use the Collection menu to pick the folders you want to see. This controls which local folders show up without deleting your actual image files from your computer.
- Open File Explorer and click on Gallery in the side menu.
- Select Collection and then Manage collection in the top menu bar.
- Click the Add button to pick a folder from your PC. The files will stay in their original location, such as
C:\Users\Username\Pictures\NewFolder.
- Select the folder you want and click Include folder.
To remove a folder later:
- Go back to Collection and then Manage collection in the File Explorer command bar.
- Select the folder you want to remove and click Remove.
Advanced Management: Registry and PowerShell
Windows 11 Gallery management through the Registry Editor lets you completely hide the photo shortcut from the File Explorer side menu. You need to open the Registry Editor, go to 🗝️HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
To hide the Gallery from the navigation pane, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer. Create a new DWORD value and name it DisableGallery. Then, set its value to 1.
Cloud Integration: OneDrive and iCloud
If you use iCloud for Windows, ensure your iCloud Photos folder is included in your collection settings to see those images in the Gallery.
Summary
Managing the Windows 11 Gallery keeps digital decluttering efforts on track. Whether you use the File Explorer interface or advanced Registry tweaks, you have full control over your media management. The Gallery is a view; your files stay exactly where you put them.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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